Serving tray cover



March 17, 1953 J. D. PRYOR, JR

SERVING TRAY COVER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Aug. 1, 1949 Fig.

James D. Prg'or 8n IN E N TOR.

March 17, 1953 J. D. PRYOR, JR

SERVING TRAY COVER 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Aug. 1, 1949 n u u Fig. 6.

Patented Mar. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SERVING TRAY COVER James D. Pryor, Sr., Meridian, Miss.

Application August 1, 1949, Serial No. 108,037

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in structural refinements in serving tray covers, and the principal object of the invention is to provide av device of the character herein described, such as may be conveniently and effectively employed in combination with a serving tray attached to an automobile for curb service, so as to preserve the food on the tray against harmful effects of the atmosphere, for example, against undue cooling, contamination by dust, germs, etc.

This object is achieved by the provision of the instant cover which, in the nature of an attachment, may be removably applied to a conventional serving tray, an important feature of the invention residing in the provision of a door on the cover so that upon opening of the same, convenient access may be had to the food on the tray.

Another feature of the invention lies in the particular means which are employed for attaching the cover to the tray, while some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, in the convenience of its use, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the invention applied to a serving tray which, in turn, is shown as being attached to an automobile;

Figure 2 is an inside elevational view of the cover per se;

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view thereof, this being taken substantially in the plane of the line 33 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 4--4 in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 5-5 in Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 6 6 in Figure 2;

Figure '7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the subject shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the cover as a Whole, this view being taken in the direction of the arrow 8 in Figure 2;

1 Claim. (Cl. 312-138) Figure 9 is a vertical cross sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 99 in Figure 2;

Figure 10 is a side elevational view, similar to that shown in Figure 8, but illustrating a modified embodiment of the invention; and,

Figure 11 is a fragmentary cross sectional view, showing the hinge connection of the back door to the cover illustrated in Figure 10.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, more particularly to Figures 1-9 thereof, the invention consists of a cover designated generally by the reference character 20 which is primarily invented for use in association with a conventional serving tray 22 attachable to a door of an automobile 24, as will be clearly apparent.

The serving tray 22, which is usually of a rec tangular configuration, is provided with a perimetric flange '26 terminating at its upper edge in an outturned bead 28, and the cover 253, which is preferably dome-shaped and of a rectangular horizontal section, consists of a transparent enclosure 39 having an open bottom and an open front, the latter being provided with an openable door 32.

The side walls 34 of the enclosure 30 are provided at the lower edges thereof with inturned;

opposing flanges or thickened portions 35 which, in turn, are formed with a pair of opposing horizontal channels 38 as is best shown in Figure 5, these channels being intended to slidably receive the outturned bead 28 of the flanging 26 at the relatively opposite sides or ends of the tray 22, as illustrated in Figure l.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that by virtue of the channels 38, the entire cover 2!! may be quickly and easily applied to and removed from the tray, and it will also be observed that when the cover is applied to the tray, the door panel 32 is disposed inwardly, that is, immediately adjacent the interior of the vehicle, so that upon opening of the door, contents of the tray become accessible to the occupant of the automobile.

As has been already stated, the entire cover is preferably made from transparent material so that the food on the tray may be readily observed, this of course, applying to the main body portion of the cover as well as to the door panel 32.

The attachment of the door panel to the tray cover proper is efiected by providing the door panel adjacent the upper edge thereof with a pair of substantially U-shaped, opposing trunnions 40 which are rotatable as well as slidable in a pair of horizontal grooves 42 provided in thickened upper edge portions 44 of the side walls 34, as is best shown in Figures 4, 6 and 7. By virtue of this arrangement, the door 32, when in its closed position, closes the open front of the enclosure 39, but the door may be opened by simply swinging the same upwardly as indicated at 46 in Figures 8 and 9, and then sliding the door rearwardly, as indicated at 48 so that it rests in a substantially horizontal position on the top wall 50 of the enclosure 38. This swinging and sliding of the door is facilitated, of course, by the rotatability and slidability of the trunnions it in the grooves 42, and it may be added that the lower edge portion of the door is preferably channel-shaped as indicated at 52, so that it not only engages the bead 28 on the front edge of the tray 22 when the door is closed, but so that it also provides a convenient fingerpiece or handle, so to speak, to facilitate opening of the door.

Referring now to the" modified embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying Figures 10 and 11, this embodiment is designated generally by the reference character 60 and is substantially the same as the embodiment already described, with the exception that the transparent enclosure 82, in addition to being provided with an open front equipped with the door 32, is also provided with an open back equipped with an additional door 64.

This door, like the door 32, is upwardly swingable but is not horizontally slidable, the mounting thereof being effected by providing the door 64 adjacent its upper edge with a pair of transversely spaced ears 65 (see Figure 11) which, in turn, are equipped with laterally projecting trunnions 88 rotatably journalled in suitable apertures provided in the opposing inner surfaces of the side walls 10 of the enclosure 62.

In this embodiment of the invention the door 32 is intended to be used by the occupant of the vehicle for access to the serving tray, while the door 64 is similarly intended to be used by the attendant while placing food on the tray or removing the same therefrom, which will be readily understood.

Needless to say, the swingable and slidable mounting of the door 32 in the embodiment 89 is substantially the same as in the embodiment 20 already described.

Although the invention has been disclosed as being primarily intended for use on curb service automobile trays, it should, of course, be understood that it is equally applicable to food trays, etc., of any conventional type.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be readily apparent from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A food tray cover comprising a dome-shaped body having an open bottom and an open front and including a top wall and a pair of side walls, said side walls being provided in their outer surfaces with horizontal grooves disposed adjacent to but spaced downwardly from the top wall, a swingable and slidable door provided for the open front of said body and having its side edge portions engageable with front edge portions of said side walls, and a pair of U-shaped trunnions projecting laterally from opposite side edges of said door flush with the top edge thereof, said trun ni-ons straddling said side Walls and having their opposed free inturned end portions rotatable and slidable in said grooves, the upper surface of said top wall affording a support for said door when the latter is in its open position.

JAMES D. PRYOR, SR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 750,122 Prentice June 19, 1904 1,058,068 Lamb Apr. 8, 1913 1,314,363 Porter Aug. 26, 1919 1,328,185 Morton Jan. 13, 1920 2,241,884 Noble May 13, 1941 2,296,028 Gribble Sept. 15, 1942 2,517,420 Gauvreau Apr. 1, 1950 

